HM REVENUE & CUSTOMS SOLICITOR’S OFFICE AND LEGAL SERVICES QUALIFIED LAWYER VACANCY NOTICE

Headline information

JOB TITLE: Lawyer DEPARTMENT: HM Revenue & Customs DIVISION: Legal LOCATION: London and Manchester with posts in Bristol from April 2019 CLOSING DATE & TIME: Midday, Wednesday 18 July 2018 INTERVIEW DATES: WORKING ARRANGEMENT: Full time / Part time / Job share APPOINTMENT TERM: Permanent NUMBER OF POSTS: Various SALARY RANGE: Grade 7 Lawyer: £55,006 London; £48,868 Manchester and Bristol (there is the possibility of higher starting salary up to a maximum of £57,151 in London and £50,780 in Manchester and Bristol for strong candidates). The salary is not negotiable.

SALARY DETAILS: Candidates with less than two years’ PQE will be appointed as a Legal Officer on a salary of £42,420 London; £38,380 Manchester and Bristol until they reach 2 years PQE or are in service for one year whichever comes sooner. The salary is not negotiable.

TRAVEL REQUIRED: Sometimes CRB REQUIRED: Yes GUARANTEED INTERVIEW SCHEME: Yes RESERVED/NON-RESERVED: Non-reserved

VACANCY DESCRIPTION

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Solicitor’s Office and Legal Service (SOLS) is an integral part of HMRC, providing legal services for the whole Department. It is headed by the General Counsel and Solicitor, Gill Aitken. We advise on legal issues arising from HMRC’s policy and operational work and conduct the Department’s litigation. SOLS is made up of around 1,200 people who include lawyers, tax professionals, advocates, paralegals and support teams. Our legal work is high quality and covers a broad range of different areas of law. We provide advice on the interpretation and application of legislation and guidance on the full range of HMRC work including advising Treasury ministers on tax law. We work closely with Treasury and HMRC colleagues in developing policy and on proposals for the Budget. We also implement policy through primary and secondary legislation, principally the annual Finance Bill and in relation to the UK’s exit from the EU. HMRC lawyers produce the highest volume of secondary legislation in the government legal profession.

We conduct litigation in the most significant and valuable cases for HMRC. Our caseload regularly takes us to the higher UK Courts and the European Courts. We have had Lexcel accreditation since 2009.

Our lawyers work in specialist teams handling specific areas of work. Each team tends to focus on either policy and operational advisory work or litigation. An HMRC lawyer can expect to move teams every few years to build up a wealth of skills and experience. Specific work areas include:

- Business Tax
- Personal Tax and National Insurance
- Property Taxes
- Customs, Excise and Environmental Taxes
- Information Law
- Criminal Law Advice
- Tax Enforcement and Individual and Corporate Insolvency
- Direct Tax Litigation
- VAT and Excise
- Benefits and Credits
- Rating and Valuation
- Commercial Law
- Withdrawal from the EU.

We have vacancies for lawyers to undertake both policy and operational advisory work (which includes drafting legislation) and litigation work.

Applications are welcomed from qualified lawyers irrespective of post qualification experience.

We are looking for bright, enthusiastic and ambitious lawyers, with a commitment to delivery for HMRC.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

Over the next 10 years HMRC will be reducing the number of its offices and will be located in Regional Centres – currently planned to be located in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Croydon and Stratford. There will also be a small number of offices where we will retain some specialist roles in Dover, Worthing, Gartcosh (near Glasgow), Ipswich and Telford, as well as our headquarters in central London. If you are recruited into an office that is not currently based in one of these locations, you will be expected to move to one in the future. Current plans are for our lawyers based in London to move to Stratford with lawyers being based in Bristol from April 2019. PERSON SPECIFICATION

We are looking for smart, enthusiastic and ambitious lawyers, with powerful communication skills and a commitment to delivering for HMRC. You may occasionally need to travel to visit clients or stakeholders or to Brussels.

You’ll need to be self-aware and keen to use feedback to help you learn and develop as a professional. In addition, the application and interview process will seek evidence of the following competencies:

Professional Legal Skills

- Understands the main features of public law.
- Reliable legal judgement and appreciation of legal risk.
- The ability to think strategically and creatively, see legal issues in their wider context and advise accordingly.
- Sound analysis, using secure legal research to produce timely and fit for purpose advice.
- The ability to communicate advice effectively both in writing and orally.
- An understanding of the role of lawyers in government.

Setting Direction – Making effective decisions

- Make difficult decisions by pragmatically weighing up the complexities involved against the need to act
- Analyse and evaluate data from various sources to identify pros and cons and identify risks in order to make well considered decisions
- Identify the main issues in complex problems, clarify understanding or stakeholder expectations, to seek best option

Engaging People – Collaborating and partnering

- Work as an effective team player, managing team dynamics when working across Departmental and other boundaries.
- Seek constructive outcomes in discussions, challenge assumptions but remain willing to compromise when it is beneficial
- Demonstrate genuine care for others, is approachable and build a strong interpersonal relationships

Delivering results – Managing a quality service

- Exemplify positive customer service behaviours and promote a culture focused on ensuring customer needs are met.

- Make clear, pragmatic and manageable plans for service delivery using programme and project management disciplines

- Create regular opportunities for staff and customers to help improve service quality and demonstrate a visible involvement Delivering results – Delivering at pace

- Get the best out of people by giving enthusiastic and encouraging messages about priorities, objectives and expectations

- Review, challenge and adjust performance levels to ensure quality outcomes are delivered on time, rewarding success

- Adopt clear processes and standards for managing performance at all levels

- Maintain effective performance in difficult and challenging circumstances, encouraging others to do the same.

Motivational Fit

- How well our requirements and offerings match your aspirations, why you are motivated to join SOLS and how you feel you might contribute effectively to a role with SOLS.

The application form asks for evidence of some of these competencies and when completing your application you will be asked to provide written examples of where you have demonstrated these.

You are not asked to provide evidence of all the competencies in the application form. At interview you will be asked questions testing the competencies as well as your strengths and motivations.

APPLICATION PROCESS

If you choose to apply you can expect the following steps:

1. You submit your application

2. Candidates meeting the advertised minimum eligibility criteria will be asked to complete an online critical reasoning test which will be sent via email. Applicants will be asked to complete this before a deadline – please ensure you check your email inboxes carefully, including junk folders as some systems filter the link as ‘spam’ or ‘junk’. If concerned please contact the Recruitment Team for advice (see contact details below). Please note that the pass mark is set separately for each recruitment campaign. Guaranteed Interview Scheme candidates who reach the minimum standard will be invited to the next stage.

3. Candidates who meet the required standard on the critical reasoning test will have their applications sifted by a SOLS sift panel. Please note detailed feedback will not be given following sift, however sift scores will be made available. Guaranteed Interview Scheme candidates who reach the minimum standard will be invited to the next stage.

4. Candidates who get through the sift will be emailed an online written exercise to test the ‘Professional Legal Skills’ criteria – you will be advised of a clear deadline for submitting your response. This allows you to respond to a legal question in the comfort of your own home and at a time convenient to you.

5. Those who pass the written exercise will be invited to be interviewed by a SOLS panel. Interviews normally last around 40 to 50 minutes.

6. We will allocate successful candidates to the most suitable vacancy available at the time of our offer, taking into account your performance at interview. We may hold a reserve list if the number of successful candidates after interview exceeds the number of available vacancies.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS TIMELINE

We expect the start dates for these roles in London and Manchester to be from November onwards and for roles in Bristol to be from April 2019 onwards.

Indicative timeline

| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5 | Stage 6 | |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| | Online application | Online assessment | Sift | Online Legal test | Interviews | Outcomes and security clearance | Take up duty | | If you are shortlisted to progress | 18 June –24 July | 30 July - 17 August | 17- 21 August | 10 - 21 September | 24 September onwards | November onwards |

POINT OF CONTACT

Name: Recruitment Team Telephone: 0845 3000 793 or 0117 923 4417 Email: glsqualified@tmpw.co.uk

MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Professional Qualifications Applicants must already be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales (or be qualified 3 months from application date). You must have completed a training contract/pupillage, or have been exempted from this by the Law Society or the Bar Council or CILEx. Applicants qualified in a jurisdiction outside England and Wales will be required to undertake the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme within 2 years of appointment, and employment will be conditional upon the successful completion of the QLTS within this time period. HMRC offers some funding for the QLTS, however applicants should note that there is also a cost to the individual.

Professional entry criteria for Chartered Legal Executives (i.e. Fellows): Fellows are eligible to apply where (i) a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) is held; or (ii) the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) has been completed; or (iii) where exams have been passed (i.e. a score of 50% or above achieved), at CILEx Level 6, in all of the following seven foundation subjects in law:

1. Contract Law
2. Criminal Law
3. Equity and Trusts Law
4. European Union Law
5. Land Law
6. Public Law
7. Law of Tort

**Academic**

Applicants **should** have a minimum of a 2:1 degree in their first degree (in any subject). Where an applicant holds an overseas degree qualification this should be equivalent to a 2.1 degree. HMRC will consider applicants who do not have a 2.1 degree but only where satisfactory evidence of equivalent high level academic and/or professional achievement can be provided. Achievement of commendation or distinction on Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE, Legal Practice Course (LPC), or an LLM, or Very Competent on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) will be accepted as equivalent academic performance.

*Chartered Legal Executives (i.e. Fellows)* should note that the GLS is willing to accept an overall average score of 65% across exams taken in the seven foundation subjects in law (where studied at CILEx Level 6) as demonstrating 2.1 degree equivalence (where a 2.1 degree is not held).

**Nationality**

As SOLS is part of the wider Civil Service, the Civil Service nationality rules apply. If a post is described as ‘reserved’, then only UK nationals will be eligible to be able to apply. If a post is advertised as a 'non-reserved' post, as our posts generally are, those listed below will be eligible to apply:

- UK Nationals (and British Protected Persons);
- Commonwealth citizens and nationals of the European Economic Area (EEA);
- Individuals with dual nationality where one part is British; and
- Certain family members of EEA, Swiss and Turkish nationals (as set out in the Civil Service nationality rules).

Full details of the Civil Service nationality requirements may be found at [Civil Service website](#).

Please note that it is possible to meet the above nationality requirements and still not be legally entitled to work in the UK. The UK Visas and Immigration operates a points-based immigration policy which applies to the migrants from outside the European Economic Area, Switzerland and Turkey.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to check whether this policy applies to them. When applying, applicants will be asked about their nationality at birth, whether they are subject to immigration control, whether there are any restrictions on your continued residence or employment in the UK etc. Detailed document checks will be made prior to employment.

Applications will be accepted from those applicants who may require sponsorship for a work permit under the UK Visas and Immigration points-based immigration policy. Applications which require sponsorship will, however, only be considered if no suitable settled worker is identified for the position.

GUARANTEED INTERVIEW SCHEME

HMRC has signed up to the Positive about Disabled People Commitment and will guarantee an interview to any disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria. The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and adverse long-term effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

To meet the minimum criteria, candidates applying under the terms of the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) must:

- Meet all aspects of the stated minimum eligibility criteria (i.e. academic, nationality, and professional criteria);
- Meet the standard set for the Critical Reasoning Test); and
- Obtain a minimum score for (i) the core competencies being assessed at the application stage and (ii) against any job specific criteria specified.

Candidates applying under the terms of the GIS, who meet the minimum criteria outlined above, will be invited to attend an interview.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT CHECKS

All government departments are required to ensure that any personnel employed by them comply with the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) before they take up employment.

You will be asked to produce original documents when attending interview to enable us to verify the above if you are successful. The information which you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence by SOLS and its authorised representative (TMP Worldwide).

The BPSS standard consists of checks on the following:

a) Identity: to verify identity departments and agencies will ask candidates to provide, in advance of any final offer of employment, a selection from the following:

- Confirmation of name, date of birth and address
- National insurance number or other unique personal identifying number (where appropriate)
- Full details of previous employers (name, address and dates), over the past three years
- Confirmation of any necessary qualifications/licences
- Educational details and references where someone is new to the workforce
- Confirmation of permission to work in the UK if appropriate. • Nationality and Immigration Status (including an entitlement to undertake the work in question) - British Passport, Current EEA or Swiss Passport, Current Passport from country of nationality and Biometric Residence Permit Card. Please see nationality rules above.

b) Employment history (past 3 years)

c) Criminal record (unspent convictions only)

d) Character enquiry form

e) Health declaration form

f) In addition, candidates are asked to account for any significant periods spent abroad or not in employment.

Please note only original documents will be accepted. Any delay in supplying this information or out of date documents will result in delays in completing these checks and delays in successful candidates being unable to take up posts.

Supplying false information or failing to disclose relevant information could be grounds for rejection of your application or dismissal and could amount to a criminal offence.

Your referees will not be approached until your permission has been obtained following success at interview.

Regarding criminal record checks, a basic disclosure will normally be required (covering convictions considered unspent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974). This will apply to successful candidates only and your permission will be required before checks are undertaken.

DATA PROTECTION

The information which you provide will be protected and processed for the purpose of successful completion of the Baseline Personnel Security Standard, in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act (2018) and the General Data Protection Regulation.

If you have any concerns about any of the questions which you are asked to complete or what we will do with the information you provide, you should discuss these with the Recruitment Team. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

HMRC processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles which can be found at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please contact Lisa Quinlan by telephone on 03000 586219 or by email at lisa.quinlan@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.